The Deity of the Holy Spirit

The Deity of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Scriptures speak repeatedly of the Holy Spirit and indicates that the Spirit is of the same essence as the Father and the Son. The Spirit has the infinite attributes of God such as unlimited time, space, power and knowledge. It is very clear in the Bible that the Holy Spirit possesses divine attributes and exercises divine authority. Since the fourth century, most will agree that the Spirit is a person and He is divine. Passages from the Old and New Testament represent the Holy Spirit as a divine person equal to the Father and Son. Thus, the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity and not subjected to man’s order of things or mathematical ideas of unity.

By careful examination of the names and titles given to a person in the Scripture you can learn a lot about that person. This is also true of the Holy Spirit. The Hebrew word for “holy” denotes that which is “sanctified” or “set apart” for divine service. The adjective holy separates Him from other spirits which are mere creatures, but He is pure and undefiled. He is not assigned a formal name but has many very descriptive titles that will give you much insight into His nature. Like the Father and Son, the Holy Spirit is at the disposal of the other persons of the Trinity and all three are one. Power and mystery state the nature of God. No one can tell where He has been or where He is going.

Although the phrase ‘Holy Spirit” occurs approximately three times in the Old Testament (Psalm 51:11; Isaiah 63:10-11), the work of the Spirit is evident beginning with the creation (Genesis 1:2). The Hebrew term ruach is used mainly in the Old Testament which means wind, breath and spirit. This term is used over a hundred times for the Spirit. The Old Testament has numerous examples where God inspired the prophets and leaders by the Spirit. Great men and women of God were led by the Spirit. Prophets like Isaiah and Ezekiel were inspired by the Spirit and the Spirit enabled them to speak God’s pure word directly to His people. Ezekiel claimed that “the Spirit entered me when he spoke to me” (Ezekiel 2:2). The Spirit equipped men in the Old Testament like Samson with extraordinary strength (Judges 14:6). Consider the words spoken by Zechariah to Zerubbabel, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). The Spirit inspired holiness and righteousness (Psalm 143:10).

Searching the Scriptures in the New Testament will reveal many references to the Holy Spirit. The person and ministry of the Holy Spirit in the Gospels is confirmed by His work in the early church. The Greek word for Spirit in the New Testament is called pneuma which means breath or that which contains wind or air. We get our words pneumatic and pneumonia from this root word. The out pouring of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost was spoken by the prophet Joel (Joel 2:28-32). The work of the Spirit is prominent in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, where the Holy Spirit prepares the way for the births of John the Baptist and Jesus (Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:15, 35, 41). Luke has more references to the Holy Spirit than do the other synoptic accounts. This can be related to Luke’s account in the Acts of the Apostles, which are called the “Acts of the Holy Spirit” because of the prominence given to the Spirit.

There are many titles in the Bible for the Holy Spirit and many reveal His divine attributes. One title that reveals the Spirit as a helper is parakletos which is the transliteration of the Greek word Jesus used in John’s Gospel ( I John 2:1) for the Holy Spirit. It literally means one called alongside which means helper, advocate, counselor and Comforter. He is a present help in times of trouble. All these wonderful titles simply show that the Holy Spirit is equal in essence, power and glory to the Father and Son.

The Holy Spirit will come along side of the Christian and counsel them. A counselor is one who analyzes a situation and gives advice to one who has responsibility for making a decision. One can see by this definition that the Holy Spirit is the believer’s Counselor.

In many instances the Holy Spirit is considered God and to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit is to blaspheme God. Many people in Jerusalem sold property and brought the proceeds to the common fund, but Ananias and Sapphira sold possessions and held back part of the funds. When they were questioned about their proceeds, they lied to the Holy Spirit and both were struck dead (Acts 5:3, 10). This was considered a sin against God and the Holy Spirit. It was common practice to associate the Holy Spirit with God the Father and the Son. To lie to the Holy Spirit is to lie to God as well.

It is widely accepted in Christendom that the Holy Spirit proceeded from the Father and Son. The Bible declares in Psalm 104:30 “Thou sendest forth thy spirit.” It is very clear from this verse that the Holy Spirit proceeded from the Father. In the Godhead, the three persons are of the same substance, power and eternity. Jesus states it very plain that the Comforter will come from the Father whom He will send and is sometimes called the Spirit of truth (John 14:16-17 and John 15:26). Christ stated many times in the Scripture that he was on earth to do the will of His Father. Christ became an obedient Son to the Father’s will and the Holy Spirit through procession became obedient to the Father and Son. The Spirit does not seek His own glory, but is in submission to the Father and Son to reveal truth on behalf of Christ. In the Godhead there is divine harmony and submission because the Father sends the Son and the Spirit, but the Son never sends the Father, but the Spirit. You never read in the Bible where the Holy Spirit says to the Father and Son “it is my turn to be in charge” but he is subordinate to the Father and Son.

Procession of the Holy Spirit can not be understood by the spirit of this world or man’s intelligence, but can only be known by the Spirit because He searcheth all things and reveals the deep things of God (I Corinthians 2:10-12).

The Holy Spirit possesses full deity and this is fully sustained in the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit may occupy a place of submission in the Trinity, but possesses all the divine attributes of the Father and Son. Words used to describe the divine attributes of God, like eternal, omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent can be applied to the Holy Spirit too. The Holy Spirit is omnipresent (He is everywhere), omniscient (He knows all things), omnipotent (He is all power) and eternal (He is everlasting).

The works of the Holy Spirit also bear the marks of His deity. The Holy Spirit does work that only God can do such as creating (Genesis 1:2), in divine providence (Psalm 104:30), in the supernatural conception of Jesus (Luke 1:35), in regeneration (John 3:6) and in the equipping of Christians with spiritual gifts.

Finally, when reading the great commission (Matthew 28:19) or reciting the benediction by Paul (II Corinthians 13:14) it is quite apparent that the Holy Spirit is placed on the same level as the Father and Son in the Godhead. We look to Him as our divine teacher, sanctifier and coach. After careful study of the Bible, one must conclude that the Holy Spirit is God because only God can make the unclean clean and the dead to come alive. In all these things, the works of the Spirit are the works of God.